Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday the “hope and change” promised by President Obama and himself in 2008 never happened. Biden was speaking at the Generation Progress, a segment of the Center for American Progress dedicated to student and youth advocacy.

“Look folks, this is within our power to change,” Biden said to the crowd. “Everybody says because we tried in ‘08 and it didn’t happen, it’s not possible. Wrong. We’ve gone through these periods before.”

Biden later said change was still possible if youth were the force behind it.

“But folks, this is totally within our power. Change. Change for the better is absolutely possible and I believe it’s close to inevitable, if you’re the drivers of it.”